Wichita eagle., 1887-08-11

Unparalleled Event IN the history OK
Elephant Capture-Formins Lines Of
Fire Around the Captives-Lucls of the
Hunters.
Mr. G. Sanderson, the superintendent Of
the government Kheddahs at Dac,a. made
an unprecedented capture Of elephants in the
Caro- hills. The details OF this exploit are
described by Mr. Sanderson himself:
"Tbe 18th we began the drive in the fore
noon. The elephants were, contrary to our
expectation and to their habits hitherto, ell
together in one large gathering Toarrive at
the stockade they had first to reach O small,
level planteau on the top of q hill, from
which they were to be DETECTED to their left
down slope, at the foot Of which was the
stockade, well screened in the jungle The
two guiding palisades or wings, converging
TO the gate Of the stocksde, were run
up the hillside the distance Of some20O yards,
at fifty yards apart. Three fire lines were
made through the jungle across the space be-
tween the guiding palisades, one joining them
at their extreme ends. one half way down
and one about sixty yards from the gate. On
these lines dry grass was stacked in bundles
and hidden by green leaves, ready TO be fired
when the elephants had crossed the paths.
The drive was well managed, the herd being
kept together and not overdriven, which often
causes herd to break up into small parties.
The moment the last had crossed the outer.
most fire line the spies sounded their rattles,
and as if by magic q had not spared few
dozen match boxes among the mem a crack
ling line of flame extended along the hillside,
Joining the extreme ends Of the paiisade and
cutting off retreat. Immediately the hitherto
comparative silence of the drive was broken
by yelling and blank firing from all sides,
and the elephants hurried forward in q
crowd, no longer following any leader, but
each striving not to be last. They soon
crossed the second fire line. and at signal
from foghorn-barely audible in the din Of
elephants and men-active fellows raced for
ward from both ends with torches, and in q
few seconds this line also was a wall of fire.
"The third line was similarly fired when
the herd had passed, and now the fun waxed
fast and furious Some of the elephants went
into the stockade at once, but a huge male
with the right tusk only such elephants are
called Gunesh and certain casts of Hindoos
reverence them) took up his position in the
gateway, which was only eleven feet wide,
and no elephant could pass him. The scene
now was extraordinary, and Col. and Mrs.
Graham Smith, from a platform in a tree
near, had an excellent view of it. The space
between the converging palisades was tightly
packed by struggling mass of elephants for
many yards from the gate. Every vestige of
jungle had disappeared, and the men were
diminishing with blank cartridges and torches
of blazing grass up to within twenty yards or
less of the elephants, and a shower Of sticks
and clods was kept up ever the palisades by
those outside The roaring of the youngsters
Of the herd, which were being trampled and
squeezed, combined with the noise of rattles,
guns and of the fire consuming the
jungle between the palisades in the
direction whence the elephants had
come. made it impossible to make ones
self heard by any one, even at ones elbow.
fired several charges of shot into the rear
most of the elephants, though really /
thought them little to blame for not moving
on; it was not for want of will or pushing,
as the angle of their hind legs as they bored
desperately into the mass before them mutely
testified At last the opposition gave way;
the Gunesh and others which were stopping
the way were borne onward into the stockade
by the pressure behind, and the animals in
the rear made renewed exertions to get away
behind them.
@When l saw the elephants struggling be-
fore the gate never believed that SO MANY
u36 as it turned QUIT could by any possibility
get into q stockade 215 feet in circumference.
The area was even less than that Of circle
of similar circumference, as our stockades
have thirteen straight sides of fifteen feet
each and the gate side of twenty feet We
100 elephant; sixty-fve was the greatest
number we had ever impounded before,
though, l must say they had plenty of room
when the resistance was overcome and the
final struggle to get into the stockade began.
The thing seemed impossible after seeing the
elephants half covering hillside or trooping
along in single file. One wave to the man
who stood over the gate rope with his ak, and
the ponderouS gate came down on to the
backs of the last few elephants, and as they
struggled from under it and fell into position
it was quickly dashed by many willing hands.
"Immediately everybody went to work to
strengthen the stockade. 1t was never really
in danger, but we made assurance doubly
sure. A supplemental stockade was at once
commenced by barricading off twenty yards
of the space between the guiding palisades
outside the gate. The elephants were pounded
at p. m. but it was not until $50 p. m that
all was ready. We then hauled up the gate
and relieved them from the black hole like
confinement Of the stOckade by admitting
them into the new one. 1t was filed at once,
but really the crowd in the first stockade
hardly seemed decreased. Early next morn
ing we shut off some thirty five elephants In
the supplemental stockade by closing the
gate, and the tame elephants were then adj
mitted, and by evening had secured this lot
and removed and tied them up in the forest
near At night the gate between the stock
AIDES was again raised to give the remainder
room, and wild plaintain trees and other sue
culent, cooling fodder were supplied to them.
BY next morning we had followed out two
tree trunks twenty feet long and pushed their |
ends through the timbers of the s,ockade, |
and by keeping men with buckets carrying |
within few yards Of the stockade, we sup |
piled the thirsty amin ais with plenty of cold, |
clear mountain water for which they seemed |
heartily thankful, and which, in addition to |
they showered over their bodies |
The third day, the 18th, the last of the ele- |
plants was removed and the whole number |
tied in a large clearing in the forest near |
The Englshman-
Seafaring Hard Life.
Swedes man the DauntleSs for exactly the |
same reason that English sailors grow rarer |